Think that age-related hearing loss is more of a nuisance than a health issue? Think that everyone over 60 suffers from some degree of hearing loss? Think it's no big deal when you have to turn up the TV louder and louder to hear your favorite news program? Well, think again. A new study links hearing loss to low vitamin intake.

Hearing loss tied to overall health

In many cases, age-related hearing loss is linked to an amino acid called homocysteine. In fact, it could mean your homocysteine levels are too high. And that's never a good thing...because too much homocysteine in your blood is also an indicator for heart disease, stroke, and dementia. In addition, excess homocysteine messes with blood flow to your inner ear, increasing the likelihood that you'll have trouble hearing your spouse at a crowded dinner party.

But researchers have found a simple but powerful way to block homocysteine from soaring out of control and thereby prevent (or slow) age-related hearing loss.

Just take more folic acid.

Most folks associate folic acid with fetal development. It's the nutrient that all newly pregnant (or soon-to-be pregnant) women should take to prevent neural tube defects. But it also helps the body break down homocysteine. And that made all the difference to a group of men and women from Sydney, Australia who wanted to keep their hearing intact.

Let me explain...

Folic acid's good for more than just fetuses

Researchers from the University of Sydney examined blood levels of nearly 3,000 men and women over 50. The found that men and women with low folate (the natural form of folic acid in the body) were nearly 35 percent more likely to suffer from age-related hearing loss.

Researchers also checked the participants' blood for homocysteine. They found that men and women with high homocysteine were a whopping 65 percent more likely to suffer from hearing loss!

But this isn't the first time researchers have tied folic acid to hearing loss. Far from it, in fact.

In 2007, scientists from the Netherlands found that taking folic acid may help prevent hearing loss. For this study, scientists divided 728 men and women between the ages 50 and 70 into two groups. Once group took 800 mcg of folic acid every day for three years. The other group took a placebo.

Scientists found that both groups suffered some hearing loss after three years. But the group taking folic acid didn't lose as much. In fact, the folic acid group could hear a much greater range of sounds than the group taking the placebo.

Plus, just one year ago, a group of U.S. researchers looked at nutritional data for 50,000 men over the age of 60. They found that men with high folate levels cut their risk of developing hearing loss by a solid 20 percent.

The do's and don'ts about folic acid

As you may remember, folic acid is part of the B vitamin family. You can increase your intake by eating beans, citrus fruits, whole grains, and dark green leafy vegetables like kale.

I also recommend taking a quality b-complex supplement. Most of these contain 400 mcg of folic acid. If hearing loss is a concern of yours, you can add another 400 mcg per day on top of that. And remember, all the B-vitamins are water-soluble. So anything your body can't use just gets excreted and there's no concern about getting "too much." Take your folic acid along with 1,000 mcg of B12 to maximize its effectiveness.

Lastly, I know there's been a lot of hype lately in the press bashing folic acid's role in preventing heart disease. But here's the thing: The latest JAMA study is truly the exception to the rule. Dozens of studies from the last 10 years alone show folic acid does indeed play a role in preventing stroke and heart attack. Just take a look back at this post from last year about a group of women who took folic acid for just 21 days and significantly lowered their blood pressure and homocysteine levels.

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